Dragons of the Valley
by Black Raider
Summary: Sequel to Werewolves of the Valley. Shifu has been entrusted with a magic dragon egg. Together with his students and the werewolves, Shifu must raise the baby and return it to its home. Can he succeed with an old enemy after his blood? No pairings. R
1. Prologue

Dragons of the Valley

Prologue

_Shifu meditated peacefully underneath the Sacred Peach Tree. He heard a voice that sounded distant, yet also sounded like it was right next to him._

"_I need you." It said. "You must protect me."_

"_Why me?" Shifu asked out loud. "Why must I be responsible?"_

"_I cannot tell you." The voice said. Shifu's head dropped. "But I can show you." Then, Shifu saw the scenery around him change until he found himself in the Sacred Hall of Warriors. The sky outside was dark and stormy. Shifu heard a cold laugh behind him and whipped around, only to stare in horror at what he saw. _

_A giant, dull green dragon was standing in front of the Moon Pool. The glow of the pool made the dragon look even more evil than he did before. At the paws of the dragon were Shifu's students. Shifu was horrified to see his students had been reduced to bloody corpses. Shifu smelled smoke. He turned around and saw the village in flames. Shifu saw the dragon behind him lunge and, before he could react, Shifu was pinned to the ground by a giant, talon paw. _

"_This is your future." The voice said coldly. "Do you want this?" Shifu didn't answer, still horrified by the sight. "DO YOU?!"_

Shifu yelled as he woke up abruptly. He breathed deeply, still scared. He groaned and leaped out of bed. He yanked up his loose floorboard and walked down quickly. In the dim light, he could see the black dragon egg on the cot. Shifu grabbed it and raced back up to his room. He gently set the egg on his bed and sat in front of it, staring at its pitch black color. He sighed, then jumped when someone knocked on his door.

"Master?" Tigress called. "Are you alright?"

"Come in Tigress." Shifu called back. "I'm fine." Tigress walked in and stood next to her master. "Just a bad dream."

"About the egg?" Tigress guessed.

"Sort of." Shifu sighed again. "What's supposed to happen after this thing hatches?"

"We'll just have to find out." Tigress said. "We'll ask Yī fù tomorrow. How's that?"

"Fine." Shifu muttered. Tigress left for bed. Shifu continued to stare at the egg.

"_Let's hope that Tigress and I know what we're about to get into." _He thought.

A/N: First chapter of my sequel is good to go! The rest will be written pretty quickly now that I'm home from my vacation. Read and Review!


	2. Mountains and Avalanches

Chapter One- Mountains and Avalanches

The next morning, Shifu and Tigress journeyed to the werewolves outside the village.

"Don't you turn into the werewolf spirit every time you transform?" Tigress asked her master as they ran. Shifu was running on all fours in his werewolf form. Tigress had the dragon egg wrapped in a small blanket and cradled in the crook of her arm as she ran on all fours.

"I can summon the spirit if I need to." Shifu said. "But I'd prefer not to until I learn to control it." They both skidded to a halt as the entered the clearing where the werewolves lived. Chen was the first to come to greet them, as usual. The little werewolf pup was playing with some of his friends.

"Hey guys!" he said as he followed them into the werewolf campsite. "What's up?"

"We have some questions about the dragon egg." Shifu explained. Chen looked at the black egg in Tigress' arm with awe.

"What's it going to be like when it hatches?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Tigress said. She and Shifu entered Yī fù's tent and Chen went back to playing. The white werewolf greeted them warmly.

"How's the egg?" she asked.

"Fine." Shifu said. "But I had a dream last night." Shifu told Yī fù about his dream. When he was done, Yī fù closed her eyes in thought.

"It seems as though someone is after this dragon." She finally said. "We must take it to its home."

"And where would _that _be?" Tigress asked. Yī fù took out a map and showed it to the masters. On the map was the Valley of Peace and the area surrounding it.

"The home of the dragons is here." Yī fù said, pointing to a circle of mountains behind the Jade Palace. "It's a very treacherous pass to go thru."

"We can handle it." Shifu said. "How long will it take to get there?"

"From the palace to there, about two days." Yī fù said. "That is, _if _the weather agrees with you; in a bad storm, it could take five days."

"We'll take Crane with us and leave tomorrow." Tigress said.

"Zhan shi should come too." Shifu said. "Just in case."

"Then you'd best rest up tonight." Yī fù told them. "It'll be a long journey."

*****

The next morning, Crane, Zhan shi, Shifu, and Tigress headed off to the mountains. Po had packed some food for them, which Zhan shi carried. Shifu carried the egg wrapped in a blanket.

"How long did Yī fù say it would take?" Crane asked his master.

"Two days, if the weather agreed." Shifu told him.

"Let's make it less, and we'll run." Zhan shi said, breaking into a sprint. Crane took flight and followed. Tigress ran on all fours, and Shifu transformed to catch up, holding the egg's blanket in his mouth. They arrived at the base of the mountain by the time the sun was in the middle of the sky. Shifu transformed back to normal and checked on the egg. It was still intact, and as black as ever.

"Now what?" Zhan shi asked. "There's no pathway."

"That's the point." Tigress said as she started to climb the mountainside. Crane flew after her. Shifu looked at Zhan shi.

"You don't have to follow us." He told his brother. But Zhan shi ignored him and started to climb, albeit with difficulty. Shifu cradled the egg in the crook of his arm before following. They were halfway up the giant mountain before they found a large enough ledge to rest on. Everybody was huffing and puffing from the climb. Everyone, minus Crane, who flew, had slipped at least once. Shifu almost dropped the egg.

"How much higher?" Zhan shi asked.

"Another five hundred feet." Tigress said glumly. Shifu checked the egg, which was still perfect. Crane stared at the egg's deep black color.

"What's on the other side?" Crane asked Shifu.

"Yī fù says there should be dragons, so maybe they'll be a mother dragon who will take the little egg in." Shifu said. He wrapped the egg back in the blanket and they all proceeded up the mountain. As they got higher, the rock was replaced with pure white snow. Everything went smoothly until Tigress slipped on a patch of snow and lost her footing. She fell, but luckily, Crane was there to catch her. They continued up the mountain. Soon, though, they were maneuvering thru snow, and more snow was starting to fall. Shifu kept the egg held closely to his body to keep it from getting wet and cold. By the time they had all reached to top, they were in a small snowstorm.

"I think we're almost at the top!" Tigress shouted over the storm. Crane flew up and landed.

"Come on!" he yelled. "Up here!" Crane helped Tigress, Zhan shi, and Shifu to their feet on the ledge.

"You see anything?" Zhan shi asked. Everyone looked around, but only saw white.

"Maybe we should just rest here for now!" Tigress yelled. They maneuvered thru the snow and found a small cave to sleep in. There wasn't much room, but just enough that everyone had some space and they were shielded from the storm. Tigress made a fire and everyone ate a little before falling asleep. Shifu checked on the egg one last time before falling asleep with it in his arms. As he slept, he had another dream.

_Shifu stood on the mountain, the egg in his hands. He looked out in front of him and saw a snow-filled landscape, surrounded by mountains. He realized then that it was the place where __Yī__fù__ said there were dragons. But the land showed no signs of life. The voice from his first dream spoke to him._

"_You'd do well to turn back." She said._

"_But we've come so far." Shifu said. "We can't turn back yet." _

"_If you don't turn back, you'll face disaster." The voice warned. Shifu heard rumbling. He looked down the other side of the mountain and saw himself, Tigress, Crane, and Zhan shi on the ledge, frantically trying to outrun an avalanche. Tigress finds a large tree and uses her claws to climb up. Crane flies after her, and Zhan shi uses his claws to follow the bird warrior. Shifu dropped the egg in the snow and stops to get it. Shifu sees himself and the egg get buried. _

Shifu woke up with a startled gasp. The others were still asleep, and he realized he was only asleep for a little while. He looked outside and saw the moon setting, so he slept. When the sun rose, the group continued. But when they reached the top, they were shocked to see the exact same thing Shifu had seen.

The land was bare and snow-filled. There was not even the tiniest sign of life.

"I don't understand." Zhan shi said. "Yī fù said that dragons were here because they felt safe."

"Maybe they moved somewhere less…..snowy?" Crane suggested.

"Well, whatever the reason, they're gone." Tigress said. "And we climbed a mountain for nothing."

"Look, I think we're all just tired." Shifu said. "Let's go home." Everyone agreed as they followed Shifu down. The old master warned them not to make any loud sounds. He was afraid of his dream coming true.

Then, by some stupid stroke of bad luck, Zhan shi slipped and stomped on Tigress' tail. The tiger master roared. The sound bounced off the mountains, echoing for a long time before going silent. The group strained their ears for any sounds. Finally, Crane sighed.

"Well _that _was a close one." He said. Not a moment later, they heard rumbling. They looked up and saw a wall of snow coming towards them.

"Run for it!" Shifu yelled. The four of them ran as fast as they could thru the snow to a large tree. Crane flew up to a high branch, Tigress and Zhan shi on his heels. Shifu lagged behind with the egg in his arms.

"Hurry up!" Zhan shi cried. Shifu ran faster, but he tripped. He dropped the blanket and it rolled away. To make matters worse, the egg slipped out, rolling down farther. Shifu scrambled to his feet and ran after it, grabbing the blanket on the way. He caught the egg and scooped it up. But as he turned around to head up to the tree, Shifu saw the avalanche headed towards him. Shifu ran up fast, determined to reach the tree. But the avalanche got there first, and Shifu had to make a sharp hairpin turn to run the other way. He wrapped the egg in the blanket as he ran and held it close to him. The snow was catching up to him; Shifu could feel the clumps hit his ankles. Finally, he reached the ledge and made the mistake of stopping. The wall of snow crashed into the small master, and he went tumbling over the edge, landing on the ground hard. The egg rolled away. Shifu dived, covering the egg right as the snow hit him.

Zhan shi, Tigress, and Crane could only watch with horror as Shifu and the egg were buried in snow.

A/N: Oooo, cliffhanger. Don't worry, I'll update soon. Read and Review!


	3. Freezing and Hatching

_Lyrics to song belong to the artist, not me. _

Chapter Two- Freezing and Hatching

Shifu opened his eyes, only to see himself surrounded by white. When the avalanche had hit him, Shifu had been surrounded, and now he was sitting in an enclosed space. Shifu looked down and saw the dragon egg still wrapped in its blanket. Shifu picked up the blanket and looked at the egg inside. It was still as black as ever. Shifu sighed with relief, wrapped up the egg again, and leaned against the snow to think of a way out.

But he knew that there were only two ways out:

1. He dug himself out.

2. Tigress, Zhan shi, and Crane find him and dig him out.

Shifu wasn't a fool; he knew that he'd have to save his energy. So he couldn't dig; he didn't even know how deep down he was. Shifu held the egg closer to him. He already felt cold. It was then Shifu realized the horrible truth.

If nobody found him in time, Shifu would freeze to death, and so would the egg.

Shifu curled up into as tight as a ball as he could with the egg in his lap.

_Tigress. _He thought. _Please hurry._

*****

"Shifu!" Tigress yelled as she ran thru the snow.

"Master!" Crane called from the skies as he flew above the tiger.

"Brother! Where are you?" Zhan shi cried. He kept sniffing the ground, digging in random places. He managed to catch up with Tigress.

"Where could he be?" Tigress asked hopelessly. Zhan shi growled and kept digging here and there.

"We can't give up yet." He insisted. "Keep looking!" Tigress sighed, but followed.

_Hold on, Shifu. _She thought. _Please hold on._

*****

Shifu shivered in his snow room. How long had he been down there? A few minutes? A few hours? Shifu sighed and checked on the egg. It was pretty much the only thing to do anyway. The egg was always fine, and still beautifully black. But it also seemed bigger. Shifu could remember when he first got the egg about four days ago. It had been the size of his head then.

Now, it seemed about three times that size.

"What are you doing in there?" Shifu whispered. To reply, the egg shook a little. At first, Shifu thought it might be cold, so he wrapped it back up in the blanket. But then the egg moved a lot, rolling out of his hands and into the snow. Shifu watched with awe as the blanket shook violently, and then there was a loud _CRACK!!!_ The blanket went limp for a second before it moved again. Shifu carefully ventured forward and opened up the blanket. He was shocked to see what was inside.

In the blanket, opening its eyes for the first time was a baby dragon.

The hatchling was marvelous. It was pure black, just like its egg. But it was also covered in fur. The only scales Shifu could see were on its underbelly. Even as a baby, the dragon had little horns and talons, both pure white. Its tail was very long and fluffy. But its eyes were the best: ruby red, with a hint of green. (A/N: I try and upload a picture for)

The little dragon shook itself, making its fur puff out even more. Shifu laughed at the little fur ball. The dragon turned to him, smiled, and cuddled its master. Shifu smiled at the little dragon in his arms.

"Hi there."

Shifu jumped and stared down at the dragon.

"Did you just speak?" he asked it.

"Yep." The dragon said happily. "I'm Lin."

"Well, I'm Shifu." Shifu said.

"Why so cold here?" Lin asked, curling up into a ball. Shifu realized that, because of how Lin talked, the dragon was speaking like a toddler saying his first words.

"We got buried under snow." Shifu explained.

"Snow cold." Lin shivered. Shifu picked up Lin's blanket, shook off the snow, and wrapped the little hatchling in it. Lin sighed with relief. "Thank you."

"No problem." Shifu said. Lin yawned and went to sleep. Shifu smiled, but frowned when he realized that he was still buried.

"Now the others _really _have to hurry." He said to himself. If they didn't get here soon, Lin would starve, and then Shifu would freeze after her.

*****

Meanwhile, above the snow, Tigress, Zhan shi, and Crane were getting close to giving up.

"We can't stop yet." Zhan shi insisted.

"But there's no way we'll find them before Shifu and the egg freeze to death!" Crane said. Then Tigress got an idea.

"Zhan shi, do you still have our things?" she asked the werewolf. Zhan shi looked and found out that he still had the stuff they packed on his back. Tigress walked over and pulled out two staffs, handing one to Crane.

"Where are you going with this?" Zhan shi asked her.

"Well, I heard about how these people were rescued from avalanches." Tigress explained. "Their rescuers used sticks to poke thru the snow. When the stick reached the people that were buried, the person would grab the stick, and that's how they were found."

"Tigress, you're a genius!" Crane said. He started poking his stick here and there.

"Zhan shi, when we find Shifu, we'll need your help with digging." Tigress said as she joined Crane.

"Of course." Zhan shi agreed, following them.

*****

Lin stirred under her blanket. She poked her head out and looked at Shifu.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Hungry." Lin said. Shifu almost hit himself in the head. But how was he supposed to know that Lin would hatch here? Of all places? Shifu tried to think about what Yī fù had told him about feeding dragons.

_At birth, baby dragons will drink milk. _She had said. Just like any baby. But Shifu didn't have milk. He didn't think about it. But Yī fù said something else.

_However, if there is no milk, baby dragons will drink blood. _Yī fù had told Shifu. _It will sustain them long enough until they get milk._

Blood.

But Shifu didn't have anything with him that was sharp enough to cut himself. He looked around, but he felt stupid, knowing that there was nothing. Then, he noticed Lin's talons, and he knew good and well they'd be as sharp as a knife.

"Lin, let me see your paw." He told the dragon.

"You get Lin food?" the dragon asked hopefully when she obeyed.

"Yes Lin." Shifu said. He thought back to Yī fù's words.

_If you ever cut yourself to give a dragon blood, prick a tiny hole into the inside of your elbow and let the blood flow into your cupped hands. Don't give too much, or you'll die from blood loss._

Shifu took Lin's talon and did what Yī fù had told him to do. Immediately, blood trickled down Shifu's arm. He cupped his hand and formed a small pool of blood. He held it out to Lin, who looked nervous.

"Go ahead." Shifu told her. "It won't hurt, just go." Lin licked a few drops nervously before she started drinking. After a minute, Shifu felt a bit dizzy. He immediately stopped the blood and sighed. Lin had drunk all she had needed. Shifu kept his fingers against the hold in his arm.

"Are you ok?" Lin asked.

"I'm fine." Shifu said weakly. "Trust me." Lin yawned again, curled up next to Shifu, about to sleep. But she couldn't fall asleep easily. Shifu remembered a song his father sung him once and started to sing it softly to Lin.

_Night  
And the spirit of life calling  
Mamela  
And a voice  
With the fear of a child asking  
Mamela_

_Wait  
There's no mountain too great  
Hear these words and have faith  
Have faith_

_They live in you  
They live in me_

_They're watching over  
Everything we see  
In every creature  
In every star  
In your reflection  
They live in you_

Lin smiled and slept soundly. Shifu did the same, exhausted from the blood loss.

*****

Tigress kept going thru the snow, poking her stick down as far as she could. She pushed away the fear of being too late from her mind. Zhan shi caught up to her.

"Anything?" he asked wearily.

"No." Tigress whispered. They had been searching all day. It was already past noon.

"What if we _don't _find Shifu or the egg?" Zhan shi asked. Tigress sighed, then growled and kept going.

*****

Shifu opened his eyes wearily. Every bone in his body felt cold. The only part of him that wasn't totally freezing was his chest, where Lin was still curled up. The dragon stirred and looked up at Shifu.

"Are we home?" she asked.

"No." Shifu whispered. "Not yet." Shifu sighed, thinking about what would happen if he died and no one found out. What if Tigress and the others gave up? What if they were already at the palace, and everybody was wondering where he was?

Shifu was driven out of his thoughts when Lin pushed off of his chest. Shifu looked up and saw her gnawing on a stick poking thru the top of the snow room. The stick was being pulled this way and that as something, some_one_, tried to bring the stick up. Then Shifu realized it was one of the staffs he had brought with him to the mountains. Shifu crawled over.

"Down here!" he yelled. The stick stopped moving, and Shifu could hear Crane yelling for Tigress and Zhan shi. Shifu brought Lin up to his chest again as snow began to fall a little. Then, bright sunlight hit Shifu and Lin's eyes. Shifu looked up and saw Tigress, Zhan shi, and Crane above them. Zhan shi never looked so happy. Tigress pulled Shifu and Lin up.

"You're ok!" Zhan shi cried, tackling his brother.

"Hey!" Shifu said. "Easy! I've got a little kid here." Zhan shi stepped back and he, Crane, and Tigress stared with awe at little Lin.

"Is that the dragon?" Crane asked.

"Yep." Shifu said. "Her name is Lin."

"Perfect name for her." Tigress said. Lin smiled at Tigress. Shifu sighed from exhaustion. Tigress noticed the blood coming from Shifu's arm and quickly got the bandages. "What happened?" she asked as she dressed the wound.

"I had to feed Lin." Shifu said. Zhan shi offered a ride on his back, but Shifu refused, wearily getting up. The five of them continued home, Lin asleep in Shifu's arms.

A/N: The song is called "They Live In You" from the Lion King on Broadway. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Read and Review!


	4. Baba

Chapter Three- Baba

It was a long trip back. Everyone agreed that they should go to the werewolf camp to avoid being attacked. Shifu had fallen twice from exhaustion, but refused to have any help. Lin had woken up and kept staring at everything on the way. She still stayed in Shifu's arms though. By the time the group had gotten to the clearing, Shifu felt so tired he was a bit dizzy. But, as stubborn as he was, he didn't give up. But the loss of blood and the dropping of his body temperature when he was buried had taken a lot of energy.

So when Shifu finally reached the camp, he collapsed from exhaustion, almost landing on little Lin, who moved away quickly. Tigress, Crane, and Zhan shi came to him quickly and took him to Yī fù. The wolf was shocked to see the hatchling, but more worried for Shifu.

"What happened?" she asked as Tigress laid her master on a bed roll.

"Shifu said he had to feed Lin." Zhan shi said. "Whatever that means."

"He was also buried in an avalanche." Crane added. Yī fù sighed and got to work.

"He's lost a bit of blood." She said. "But his body temperature is rising steadily. I'd say about a day's rest and a good night sleep. He should be fine tomorrow."

Tigress sighed with relief. "I guess Crane and I should get back to the palace and tell the others."

"Zhan shi, can you get Shifu back home when he's better?" Crane asked. The werewolf promised he would, so Crane and Tigress left. Lin curled up next to Shifu and went to sleep.

*****

The next morning, Shifu woke up feeling a lot better than yesterday. But when he didn't see Lin next to him, he panicked a little. Then he heard her laughing outside and went to investigate. He smiled when he saw Lin and Chen playing around with a ball. Zhan shi and Yī fù were watching them. Shifu walked out and Lin stopped playing to run over and tackled Shifu with a hug.

"Hey!" Shifu yelped as he fell over. "Easy now!" Lin giggled and jumped off. Yī fù and Zhan shi came over as Lin rejoined Chen in their game.

"What a ball of energy!" Zhan shi exclaimed as Shifu stood. "This morning I found her and Chen playing around like there was no tomorrow!"

"Indeed." Yī fù said. "But now there's the matter of why she's still here and she's not with other dragons."

"We never found them." Shifu said. "When we reached their hiding place, they were gone."

"Well, there's always Plan B." Zhan shi said.

"Which is?" Shifu asked.

"You and Tigress will have to take care of her." Yī fù said. "Lin can move into the Jade Palace. Besides, your students will protect her."

"I don't know." Shifu said. "I know a lot of people will do anything to get their hands on Lin."

"If it makes you feel better, Yī fù, Chen, and I will join you." Zhan shi said. "Besides, it'll save you a trip to Yī fù when you need her."

"I guess that could work." Shifu agreed. Zhan shi smiled and called Chen and Lin over, telling them the plan. Lin agreed happily, and they set off. Zhan shi made another werewolf in charge until they returned.

At the palace, the Five and Po waited for them at the steps. Tigress was the first to speak when they got there.

"Glad to see you back." She said.

"Good to be back." Shifu said. He turned to the rest of his students. "You all remember Zhan shi, Yī fù, and Chen, right? They're staying with us while we raise Lin." At the sound of her name, Lin looked up and smiled a toothy smile. Po backed up a little when he saw those sharp teeth. Then Lin leaped up and landed on Po's shoulder. She started climbing around his head, sniffing him.

"What is she doing?" Po asked.

"I didn't teach her that." Shifu said. "Lin, come down here." Lin smiled, gave Po a lick on his cheek, and took a flying leap and landed in Shifu's arms.

"Dragon Warrior." Lin said happily.

"How'd she know that?" Po asked, rubbing the dragon slobber off his cheek.

"Maybe it's a dragon thing." Crane said.

"Well, I guess introductions won't be too necessary." Chen said.

"What _will _be necessary is all of you getting to bed on time tonight." Yī fù said. "We have a big day tomorrow." Everyone agreed and walked into the palace. Shifu did introduce Lin to everyone she didn't know, but the little dragon was too happy to be in the Jade Palace.

After a quick dinner and a showing of rooms, Shifu brought Lin to his room.

"Until you get your own room, you can sleep in here with me." Shifu said, setting Lin down on the floor. The hatchling ran over and dive bombed the bed, bouncing up and down. Shifu rolled his eyes and smiled. "Lin, you're going to break my bed." The dragon stopped, smiling broadly. Shifu climbed into bed and watched as Lin spun around and around like she was chasing her tail before she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

"Goodnight Lin." Shifu said, lying down.

"Goodnight Baba." Lin said.

Shifu bolted upright to look at the dragon, but she was already out cold. Shifu stared at the blankets for a while before jumping out of bed and half walking, half running out the door to the Sacred Peach Tree. He looked up at the stars for a minute before he started pacing, muttering to himself.

"Why did I except this job?" he muttered. "Of course the dragon would've expected me to be her father! But how can I? I messed up raising a child twice now, and I can't do it again."

"Baba?"

Shifu whipped around and saw Lin at the stairs.

"Lin, go to bed." Shifu said.

"Lin causes trouble for Baba?" Lin asked shamefully.

"No!" Shifu exclaimed. Lin bounded over and Shifu sat down. "It's just that I'm not good at raising children."

"Baba will raise Lin perfectly." Lin assured. She yawned and fell asleep in Shifu's lap. Shifu stared at the dragon for a long time before he carried her to his room to sleep.

*****

The next morning, Shifu took Lin on a tour of the palace. Chen, Zhan shi, and Yī fù were talking in the kitchen and the Five and Po were training. Shifu showed Lin everything in the palace, even the places she wasn't supposed to visit. The last thing Lin saw was the Training Hall.

"This is where the kung fu students train." Shifu explained. "The first thing they always start with is the Adversary." Shifu pointed to the punching bag.

"I wanna try!" Lin said, running over. Shifu grabbed her tail and pulled her back.

"Easy now." Shifu told her. "Rushing into something just leads to trouble." After he let go, Lin crouched down and prepared herself. Then, she pounced at the Adversary, giving it a good punch. The dummy swung back, but then swung forward and hit Lin on the head. Growling, Lin charged and did something that amazed Shifu. Lin leaped up, did a barrel roll, and kicked the Adversary. The dummy was completely knocked off the floor and started bouncing off the walls of the Training hall. Tigress had to leap off of the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion to avoid being hit. Crane flew up to dodge the bag, and Mantis and Viper had to leap off the fire field. Po got a hit to the head and did a full somersault before falling to the floor. They all watched as the Adversary bounced off the walls a few times before it followed Monkey thru a ring and got stuck. Monkey was hit off balance and landed in a heap at Shifu's feet. Everyone turned and stared at Lin.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"How'd you do that?" Tigress asked.

"That's _WAY _beyond your level." Crane said.

"Like, that's not _even close _to your level." Viper added.

"Are you really surprised?" a voice asked. Everyone whipped around and saw a lion standing in the doorway. He wore a ninja's outfit with the hood down, so you could see his full mane. He had a sword strapped to his left side, a knife strapped to his right, and a scar on his face. It was a jagged line running down from his eye to his chin. Immediately, Tigress stood protectively in front of Lin. Shifu stepped up to the lion.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Shifu relax." Zhan shi said as he came in. "This is Bā hén, an old friend of mine."

"Well could you warn us next time?" Shifu asked his brother. "I don't like surprise guests, especially ones I don't know."

"Oh, relax Shifu." Bā hén told the master. "I mean no harm."

"Still, I don't like being surprised." Shifu told the lion. "I've been ambushed many times before."

"I understand that." Bā hén said. He moved forward and reached out to Lin. The dragon lunged, snapping at the lion's hand. Bā hén retreated. Lin snarled menacingly. Shifu smirked and moved to Lin, who jumped into his hands. "I see the dragon has trust issues." Bā hén commented. Lin hissed.

"She just doesn't know you enough." Shifu assured. _And she never will. _

"Well, seeing as though she's only spent her time in the palace-" Bā hén started.

"Uh, why don't I show you the palace?" Zhan shi intervened. Shifu was glad he did. The more he was around him, the more he didn't like this Bā hén character. The last time he remembered, "Bā hén" meant "scar" in Chinese. Zhan shi led Bā hén away. Then Chen and Yī fù came in and took Lin outside to play. The Five resumed their training. Before Po could join them, Shifu pulled him aside.

"Po, I don't like Bā hén." He told Po.

"Oh really?" Po said sarcastically. "I didn't notice."

"Shut up!" Shifu said. "Look, I swore to protect Lin with my life. If something happens to me, you need to help Tigress take care of Lin, understand?"

"Why me?" Po asked.

"You're the Dragon Warrior." Shifu explained. "She'll trust you no matter what. Just promise me that if I'm not around to protect her, you will."

"Yeah, I promise." Po agreed.

A/N: In the next chapter, things go terribly wrong with that promise. Just a heads up. Read and Review!


	5. Plots, Stampedes, and Hyenas

_This next chapter is so going to remind you of The Lion King. I hope I don't disappoint._

_Another thing, would somebody please go to my profile and take my poll? I'm getting frustrated._

_I do not own the Lion King. _

Chapter Four- Plots, Stampedes, and Hyenas

That night, Bā hén journeyed deep into the forest. He stopped at a chasm and climbed down by a trail leading into it. He arrived at what looked like an elephant graveyard, except all the skeletons were of many different animals. Three hyenas were messing around there. They were their own group of hyenas. They were wild.

There was Bèn zhuō (Chinese for "stupid"), who usually gets in the way and laughs stupidly at everything. When he talks, he sounds babyish.

Then there's Jiǎo (Chinese for "crafty"). Not much to say about him other than he's a crafty and skilled hunter, hence his name.

And finally, Lǐng xiù (Chinese for "leader"). She's the only girl, but she's the toughest of the three of them, making her the leader. All three hyenas work for Bā hén.

When Bā hén reached the three hyenas, Bèn zhuō and Jiǎo were fighting over a bone. Lǐng xiù sat back and watched. Bā hén rolled his eyes.

"You aren't really _that _pathetic, are you?" he asked them. The three hyenas turned to their master.

"Oh, hey boss!" Jiǎo said. "How's it goin'? Hey, you bring us anything to eat?"

"Oh shut up!" Bā hén exclaimed. He pulled out a large loaf of bread and tossed it to the three hyenas, who started to dig in. "Eat up now."

"Why?" Bèn zhuō asked stupidly. "What we doin'?"

"Tomorrow, we will get what we want!" Bā hén said triumphantly. "You will never go hungry again, and _I _will have gained what I deserve!"

"You don't mean that dragon, do you?" Lǐng xiù asked. "Come on! I've seen that dragon, and as long as the little rat Shifu is around, you'll never catch her! I mean, what are you going to do? Kill Shifu?" Bā hén smiled evilly.

"Precisely." He said.

"Whoa!" Lǐng xiù exclaimed. "I was kidding! I didn't really mean it! Besides, how on earth are we supposed to do that? He's the greatest kung fu master in China."

"Just do as I say, and everything will work out." Bā hén said. "Besides, to take down an enemy, one must use his enemy's weakness against them. And make them suffer."

*****

The next morning, Bā hén was back before anyone could notice. After having breakfast with everyone (and ignoring the death glares from Lin), he decided to lay low until it was time to put his plan into action. So he talked with Zhan shi, but he really only listened. When it was about noon, he excused himself and walked off to the Training hall. Once there, he was happy to see Shifu nowhere in sight. He walked over to Po, who was sparring with Crane on the Jade Bowl.

"May I speak with you, Dragon Warrior?" Bā hén said. Po shrugged and walked over.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Well, Shifu has a little surprise for Lin." Bā hén lied. "But I can't take her to the place he wants her. I was wondering if you could help."

"Uh, sure." Po said. He called Lin over. The dragon bounded over happily, but recoiled and hissed when she saw Bā hén. "Easy now." Po comforted the dragon and Lin reluctantly came over. But when she heard about Shifu and his surprise, she brightened up. Bā hén led them both into a small gorge five miles away from the palace. When they stopped, they were near the beginning of the gorge.

"Now, Lin is to wait here, and Po, go get Shifu." Bā hén instructed.

"Can't I stay with Lin?" Po asked.

"No!" Bā hén exclaimed. He chuckled. "No. Besides, neither can I. And little Lin will be fine alone. She is very good and kung fu."

"I guess." Po agreed.

"Then get going." Bā hén said. He walked off. Po set Lin down on a small rock.

"Alright now." He said. "You just wait here, and I'll get Shifu."

"Baba!" Lin said.

"Okay, but if you want to see him, you've gotta stay here, got it?"

"Lin stay put!"

"Good girl!" Po walked away, chuckling. Lin curled up on the rock, eagerly waiting for Shifu. What she didn't know was that above her, on the ground above the gorge, a herd of blesbuck was grazing. Bèn zhuō, Jiǎo, and Lǐng xiù were waiting nearby.

"I'm hungry." Jiǎo complained. "Can't I go and eat one of the little babies?"

"No." Lǐng xiù said firmly. "We have to wait for the signal. Besides, when Bā hén becomes king of the Valley of Peace, we won't be hungry ever again." The three hyenas looked up and saw Bā hén nodding to them. "Let's do this."

Meanwhile, down in the gorge, Lin had found interest in chasing her tail until she became dizzy and fell over. She laughed. Then, she saw a butterfly and growled.

"Roar!" she yelled. The butterfly didn't move. Lin frowned. She leaped up to her feet. "ROAR!" she yelled louder. When the butterfly still didn't move, she jumped forward and let out a loud snarl, scaring the butterfly away. Lin smiled proudly, but it disappeared when she noticed the blesbuck stampeding down into the gorge……straight to her! Lin ran away fast, determined to get away. But the herd caught up with the dragon, so she desperately tried to dodge the sharp hooves. After running away for a while, Lin scrambled up a small tree, holding on for her dear life.

Back at the palace, Po arrived and found Shifu. But before he could tell Shifu Lin was waiting for him, he noticed a large cloud dust in the gorge.

"Hey Shifu, what's that?" he asked his master. Shifu looked and frowned.

"The blesbuck herd's on the move." Shifu said. "That's strange."

"Shifu!" Bā hén suddenly appeared before them. "There's a stampede in the gorge! Lin's down there!"

"What?" Shifu exclaimed. He didn't hesitate for a second; Shifu transformed into his werewolf self and he, Bā hén, and Po ran to the gorge. The reached a ledge and looked into the rushing herd.

Lin saw them too. When she saw the werewolf, she immediately knew it was Shifu.

"Baba!" she cried. Shifu heard her and saw the branch she was on breaking.

"Hold on!" he yelled, diving into the stampede.

"What do we do?" Po asked frantically. "WHAT DO WE DO?! I know, I'll get help. Yeah, I'll go get-" Suddenly, Bā hén hit Po on the head, knocking him out cold. Bā hén put up his hood to hide all but his eyes and watched Shifu closely.

Shifu ran thru the blesbuck, knocking a few out of the way. He stopped right below Lin.

"Lin! Drop!" he yelled. Lin obeyed, landing on Shifu's back. Shifu navigated thru the blesbuck, zigzagging this way and that before one slammed into him, knocking Lin off. The dragon stared with fear as the animals raced past. All she could do was get out of the way. Suddenly, Shifu appeared, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and leaping up to a ledge, gently placing her to safety. Then, a blesbuck knocked Shifu off the ledge. The master wasn't about to give up yet. He weaved his way thru the stampede and jumped onto the side of the cliff. Using his claws, he climbed to a ledge high above the stampede. Lin saw Shifu safe and started to find a path up to him.

But Bā hén had other plans. Hidden in the shadows, he took out his sword and stabbed it into a crack in the ledge Shifu was on. Shifu spun around and swiped at the ninja. He didn't know who it was, nor did he care at that point; he just wanted it away from him. But the ledge under Shifu's feet crumbled, and the master fell into the stampede, disappearing under hooves. Lin gasped.

"Baba!"

Lin scrambled down into the gorge as the last of the blesbuck ran off.

"Baba!" she called. Above her, Po was climbing down with Monkey and Viper, who had heard Lin's calls. Lin kept running thru the gorge, calling for her father. Po, Monkey, and Viper caught up with her, stopping the dragon in her tracks.

"Lin!" Viper said. "Stop, you'll never find him." She swallowed a sob. "He's gone."

"And you're next."

The four of the whipped around and saw Lǐng xiù, Jiǎo, and Bèn zhuō coming toward them.

"Oh, I _hate _hyenas." Po whimpered.

"Back off you little savages." Monkey growled.

"Aren't you a little low on the food chain to be mouthing off?" Jiǎo said.

"Uh, Monkey, he does have a point." Po said. "And I believe that, enlightened by that statement, we should-" Po turned around and started to run away. "-RUN!" Viper, Monkey, and Lin followed. The hyenas chased them. The warriors ran all the way into Bā hén's hideout. The hyenas chased them until they were cornered against the cliff walls. They turned to face the hyenas.

"Now _this _is going to be a meal." Lǐng xiù said. Lin jumped forward a little and tried to roar at them. But all that came out was a mouse-like squeak. The hyenas burst into laughter.

"Awe, do it again!" Lǐng xiù taunted. Lin took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

What came out was a rough bark.

All three hyenas were surprised. But not as much as they were when Shifu, Zhan shi, and Yī fù rammed into them. Po, Viper, Monkey, and Lin pressed themselves against the cliff wall and watched as Yī fù, Zhan shi, and Shifu each pinned down a hyena.

"Hey!" Jiǎo whimpered.

"Easy, please!" Lǐng xiù cried.

"Mercy!" Bèn zhuō said. Shifu barked fiercely. "Ok! Us go silent now!"

"If _any _of you _ever _come near my students-" Shifu warned.

"Those are _your _students?" Jiǎo asked innocently. "We didn't know that! Lǐng xiù, did you know that?"

"Why no, Jiǎo, I didn't know that!" Lǐng xiù said. They turned to their friend.

"Bèn zhuō?" they asked. Bèn zhuō made a "Duh" noise, and then nodded stupidly. Shifu growled and let out a bark so fierce it sounded like a roar. The three hyenas ran away, whimpering. The three werewolves turned to Po, Viper, Monkey, and Lin. Shifu was covered in dirt, but he was mad. No, _mad _was an understatement. _Furious _was an understatement for how mad Shifu was. But before he could say a single word, Lin cried, "Baba!" and ran forward, nuzzling Shifu. A few tears streamed down her face. Some of Shifu's anger disappeared as he nuzzled her back. Po stepped up.

"Master?" he said. Shifu glared hard at him.

"We're going home." He said, tossing Lin on his back. "_Now._" Viper, Monkey, Po, Zhan shi, and Yī fù followed the master back to the palace, none of them saying a word.

Once back at the bunkhouse, Zhan shi, Yī fù, and Monkey went to bed.

"Viper." Shifu said. The snake master slithered up timidly.

"Yes master?" she asked.

"Take Lin to bed." Shifu ordered. "I need to teach Po a lesson."

"Yes master." Viper obeyed. Lin followed Viper up to the bunkhouse. "Panda!" Po cringed. Shifu only called Po "Panda" when he was really mad. Po stepped up timidly.

"Yes master?" he asked.

"Do you have _any _idea what you've done?!" Shifu yelled. "I trusted you to take care of Lin, and what happens? You get into trouble!"

"I didn't mean to!" Po protested. But he only made things worse.

"Po, when I entrusted this responsibility to you, I thought you would know what to do." Shifu said. "You would have to take up the duties I had. And that is to protect Lin at all costs." Shifu looked away from the Dragon Warrior. "I would've been willing to die for her if it meant she'd be safe." Shifu glared at Po once more. "And that means _you _were to do the same if I did die!"

"Shifu, _please_, give me one more chance!" Po pleaded.

"No." Shifu said firmly. "I trusted you, and you not only let me down, but you let down Lin. Even her mother." Shifu walked away, leaving Po to berate himself for several minutes before he went to bed.

Shifu walked to his room and curled up in his bed, still a werewolf. Lin was still awake.

"Anything wrong?" Shifu asked.

"Shifu is Baba, right?" Lin asked.

"Of course I am." Shifu said.

"Who's my mama?" Lin asked.

"If you go to sleep now, I'll show her to you tomorrow." Shifu assured. Lin smiled and curled up next to Shifu. And that is how they slept that night.

A/N: Blesbuck are like gazelles. Read and Review!


	6. Tiga

Chapter Five- Tiga

The next morning, Shifu did what he had promised and properly introduced Lin to her foster mother, Tigress. But there was one problem: Lin couldn't say "Tigress". So she called the tiger master "Tiga". After trying to get the dragon to properly say her name, Tigress gave up, so she became Tiga to Lin.

"I was thinking you should spend some time with her." Shifu suggested.

"Why don't all three of us do that?" Tigress said. "She can't just be with me or just be with you." Shifu was reluctant at first, but agreed. So while everyone else was training or talking, the three of them walked out into the country. Shifu and Tigress took Lin to the Birthplace of Kung Fu, where she galloped around, playing. Shifu and Tigress rested on a rock, watching the dragon play.

"What happens when she grows up?" Tigress asked.

"I guess she stays in the palace." Shifu said. "But I don't think we should think about that just yet." They watched as Lin kept leaping into the air to catch an azure butterfly. After a minute, she snapped at the bug, and it went into her mouth. Shifu and Tigress laughed as Lin made a weird face and spit the butterfly out. Then she resumed her chase. Tigress sighed.

"Master, what happened in the gorge?" she asked. "Lin says that you saved her life."

"I don't really know." Shifu said. "I was just in the palace when Po came to me, saying there was a cloud of dust in the gorge. I knew the blesbuck must've been on the move, and then Bā hén came to us and said there was a stampede and Lin was in it. So I went down there as a werewolf and saved her. Once I was to safety, some strange ninja destroyed the rock underneath me, and I fell. But when I got to the stampede, I transformed to normal and hid in a small cave. I heard Lin calling for me after the herd had left, but I couldn't see her. Then I heard theses hyenas. Zhan shi and Yī fù found me, I transformed, and we went after the hyenas. We managed to scare them away."

"Who was the ninja?" Tigress asked.

"That's just it, I don't know." Shifu said. "I remember his eyes and his sword, but that's it." They resumed watching Lin as she jumped and leaped around after the butterfly. But after a great leap, Lin went flying and landed in the Pool of Sacred Tears with a _plop_. Shifu and Tigress raced over to the water's edge. But they laughed when they saw Lin swimming lazily about.

"Let's hope the gods go easy on her." Tigress said. Lin smiled at them, so wet that her fur was pressed against her skin. Suddenly, Lin's eyes widened, and she scrambled out of the water and into Shifu's arms, trembling.

"What's wrong?" Shifu asked her. Tigress pointed behind them, gasping.

"_That's _what's wrong!" she said. Shifu looked up and saw Bèn zhuō, Jiǎo, Lǐng xiù, and the ninja coming toward them. Tigress got into a fighting stance, growling.

"None of that now." The ninja said. Tigress froze briefly. She knew that voice from somewhere. "Just give us the dragon, and we'll leave you be."

"Never!" Shifu said. The ninja motioned to the hyenas, and the three of them attacked. Tigress fought against them, despite the fact that they were wild. When no one was looking, Shifu set Lin down on a ledge above them.

"Stay there, and stay quiet." He told her as he joined the fight. But the ninja and Lǐng xiù attacked him. Lin watched with awe as the two masters fought. Tigress accomplished in grabbing Bèn zhuō and throwing him into Jiǎo, knocking them out cold against a rock. Tigress moved forward to help Shifu. But Lǐng xiù grabbed Shifu's neck loosely in her teeth. Tigress skidded to a halt. The ninja took out his sword.

"You have a choice Tigress." The ninja told her. "Will you give us your dragon, or your master?" Lǐng xiù bit down harder, making Shifu cry out in pain. Shifu stared at Tigress.

_Don't do it. _He thought. _You know better. _Tigress sighed, stepping back.

"What'll it be?" the ninja demanded. "I won't wait forever." Lǐng xiù tightened her grip. Suddenly, there was a flash of black, and Lǐng xiù dropped Shifu, yelping. Shifu ran to Tigress, and they took a fighting stance. The ninja glared at them as the three hyenas gathered.

"You take care of the tiger, I'll get the little rat." He whispered to them. The hyenas lunged, and Tigress fought them fiercely. Shifu lunged at the ninja. But there was the matter of the sword the ninja had; it gave him the advantage. Because after fighting for a minute, the ninja grabbed Shifu by the throat and pinned him to a rock, holding the sword point so it would stab Shifu's heart.

"You have one last chance." The ninja said. "It's the dragon or you life." Shifu kept quiet, not even trying to escape. The ninja growled. "Fine." The ninja trust his sword down.

But it didn't get even close to Shifu's body before a black and white streak slammed into the ninja. Shifu gasped at the sudden rush of air thru his lungs. He looked up and found Po hitting the ninja's sword away.

"Run for it!" Po yelled to his master as he fought. Shifu called Tigress and Lin over and led them to safety, kicking the hyenas away. He led them a few feet down before he handed Lin to Tigress.

"Take Lin and get out of here." He ordered, going back up the mountain.

"What about you?" Tigress asked.

"Nobody gets left behind!" Shifu called back. "Not as long as I'm around." Shifu continued up the mountain and found Po surrounded by the hyenas. Shifu jumped in, facing the hyenas with his student.

"I told you to run." Po said.

"I don't leave my students behind." Shifu said. The hyenas lunged, and the two of them fought hard. But Lǐng xiù and Jiǎo were both fighting Shifu, and he was losing fast. Then Tigress came in, fighting Jiǎo.

"Where's Lin?" Shifu demanded.

"Safe." Tigress assured. Shifu couldn't ask anymore questions, not with Lǐng xiù attacking him with all she had. The three warriors fought hard. But when Shifu wasn't looking, the ninja moved in to attack the master.

But something stopped him.

Shifu heard a yell, and he kicked Lǐng xiù away to look. He was amazed to see Lin attacking the ninja with Dragon Style Kung Fu. It only took a minute to pin the ninja to the ground. The ninja hit the dragon off, but Shifu grabbed his sword and held it to the ninja's throat. The warrior paused, smiling.

"You wouldn't kill me." He said. Shifu sighed. He tossed the sword to the ground.

"If you ever come near my students or that dragon again, I'll not hesitate to kill you." Shifu said. He turned his back for only one minute.

It was all the ninja needed to grab his sword and swipe it at the master.

But Shifu transformed and tackled the ninja, pinning the warrior to the ground.

Shifu snarled in the warrior's face. The ninja was afraid now. "Retreat!" he called to the hyenas. They obeyed, and Shifu got off so the ninja could grab his sword and run. Shifu sighed and returned to normal. Lin dived into his arms, trembling with fear.

"Tigress, take Lin home please." Shifu said. "I want to talk to Po."

"Yes master." Tigress obeyed, taking Lin in her arms. Shifu turned to the panda.

"Why'd you come back?" he asked. Po looked at his feet.

"I felt like I owed you one for almost losing Lin." Po said. "So I came to find you. And then I saw the ninja, and I wanted to repay you by saving Lin's, yours, and Tigress' lives."

"You do realize you could've died." Shifu said as he walked away. Po followed.

"Yeah, but I owed you one." Po said. Shifu smiled at his student.

"Thanks." He said. "Debt repaid." Po smiled, glad that his master wasn't angry with him.

A/N: Ok, because Red Panda Obsessor keeps getting mad about me giving hints, I won't give any this time. Read and Review! You review, I write. Simple as that.


	7. Swords, Sharks, and Snakes

Chapter Six- Swords, Sharks, and Snakes

Back at Bā hén's hideout, he and the hyenas were resting after their battle. Lǐng xiù had a bite mark on her leg from when Lin had bitten her after hitting the hyena away from Shifu. Jiǎo was rubbing his rear end from where Shifu had given it a good kick.

"Stupid Shifu." He said. "I think he broke my butt!" Bèn zhuō laughed stupidly. "Shut up, Bèn zhuō!" Bèn zhuō shut his mouth with a stupid grin on his face.

"At ease, my friends." Bā hén told the hyenas. "This is just a drawback. Obviously, I have underestimated the power of that dragon."

"You can say that again." Lǐng xiù muttered.

Bā hén growled. He had lowered his hood to reveal his face and mane. "As I was saying, it seems as though I cannot gain the trust of the dragon. But if I can gain Shifu's trust, then I will get the dragon easier."

"Good luck with that." Jiǎo said sarcastically.

*****

At the Jade Palace, Zhan shi, Chen, and Yī fù were waiting for Shifu, Lin, Tigress, and Po to return. When the warriors reached them, Zhan shi sighed with relief.

"Glad to see you alive." He said.

"Shifu, Tigress, we need to talk to you." Yī fù told them. "Bring Lin as well." Shifu and Tigress obeyed, bringing Lin as they followed the three werewolves to the Sacred Peach Tree. Po walked off to train with the rest of the Five.

Once everyone was comfortable under the tree, Yī fù began their talk.

"Now, as you know, there have been two attempts to capture Lin." She said.

"And in both attempts, Shifu almost got killed." Chen added. A stern look from Zhan shi silenced the cub immediately.

"As I was saying, we need to figure out who was trying to get Lin and protect Lin from them." Yī fù continued. "And if we can't do that soon, I would suggest that Lin be taken elsewhere."

"What do you mean?" Tigress asked.

"Don't take it the wrong way." Zhan shi asked. "But Yī fù and I think it would be safer if Lin wasn't at the palace. Or in the Valley of Peace."

"We can't leave her with just anybody!" Shifu said. "Besides, she's safe as long as she stays with me or Tigress. Or anybody here in the palace. Except Bā hén. Lin doesn't trust him."

"Shifu, it may be the only way." Zhan shi said.

"Why don't we let Lin decide?" Chen asked. Zhan shi gave him another angry look.

"No, Chen's right." Shifu said. "Lin can make her own decisions." The little dragon smiled at her father.

"Alright then." Yī fù said, smiling at Lin. "What'll it be, little dragon?"

Lin didn't hesitate. "Lin stays with Baba and Tiga." She galloped to Tigress and nuzzled her.

"Tiga?" Yī fù asked, confused.

"She can't say, 'Tigress.'" Shifu explained. Yī fù smile and she and Chen laughed. Shifu noticed Zhan shi's sour look.

"Uh, Chen, would you like to take Lin and go play?" Shifu asked the pup.

"Sure!" He and Lin ran off, laughing.

"I'll go watch them." Yī fù said. "No doubt they'll get into all sorts of trouble." She laughed again and left. Tigress smiled and followed. She turned to look at Shifu.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked. Shifu silently motioned over to Zhan shi, who was standing at the cliff edge with his back to them. Tigress nodded in understanding and left. Shifu transformed to his werewolf form and walked to his brother. Zhan shi glanced over at Shifu's eyes, still amazed by them.

One iris was blue, like always.

The other was blood red, from when the Werewolf Spirit had controlled Shifu's body to defeat Chu-Jung the elephant.

"What's wrong?" Shifu asked, still staring straight ahead at the horizon.

"It's just that you've gone thru two life-threatening incidents in just two days." Zhan shi admitted. "All because someone wants that dragon."

"You think someone's going to kill me to get the dragon?" Shifu guessed.

"Yes." Zhan shi grumbled. Shifu laughed. "It's not funny!"

"The only funny part is the fact that you're acting so much like your mother." Shifu said.

"She's your mother too." Zhan shi said.

"Yeah." Shifu said, walking away. "But you act more like her." Zhan shi growled playfully before tackling Shifu. Together, they chased each other around, fighting playfully. They didn't stop until Shifu tackled Zhan shi and they went tumbling down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, it was a bit of a soft landing, so they didn't die. Unfortunately, they landed in some thorn bushes, so they looked a little like porcupines when they came out. As Shifu pulled his thorns out, he gave his werewolf brother _the look_.

"What?" Zhan shi asked, pulling thorns out of his tail. "It's not _my _fault we fell into the thorns."

"Well _you _were the one who tackled me first." Shifu said, pulling five thorns out of his back.

"Well _you _hit me off the mountain!" Zhan shi countered, pulling out the thorns on his stomach.

"Would both of you stop it?" The two werewolves turned and saw Viper, soaking wet. That's when they remembered that, during their play, they had knocked down a bucket full of water. Viper must've been right where it landed.

"Oops." Zhan shi said sheepishly. Viper rolled her eyes and helped the boys take out the thorns. Once done, they started back up to the palace. Then, Shifu stopped and turned. Viper and Zhan shi did the same.

"Did you hear that?" Shifu asked.

"Yeah." Zhan shi said.

"It sounds like water." Viper said. "Maybe it's just the river."

"The river's supposed to be five miles away from the mountain." Shifu said, walking towards the sound. "And this water sounds like splashing." Zhan shi and Viper followed, knowing they couldn't drive Shifu away no matter how hard they tried. The three of them ventured thru the forest until they reached some large bushes. By then, the sound was louder.

"Look around here." Zhan shi said. Everyone obeyed, looking around. Viper was the first to go and poke her head thru the bushes. When she did, Zhan shi and Shifu heard a scream. They looked back and saw Viper trembling.

"What's wrong?" Shifu asked.

Viper pointed to the bushes. "Very, very, _very, _large snake." She squeaked.

"Aren't _you _a snake?" Zhan shi asked.

"So?" Viper said.

"So, appeal to his better nature." Zhan shi suggested.

"If you think I'm going to flirt with a snake that could swallow me whole you're the craziest thing alive." Viper said.

"Both of you relax." Shifu said. He transformed to normal. "Let's go." With Shifu leading the way, the three of them wandered thru the bushes. When they got to the other side, they gaped at the sight in front of them.

It was a giant wooden tank. From top to bottom, it was a hundred feet high, and fifty feet in diameter. A ladder was attached to the side, and it led up to a wooden plank, fifteen feet long, and twenty feet above the water. Water would splash out once in a while, and Shifu noticed a flash of grey.

"What's that supposed to be doing here?" Viper asked.

"I don't know." Shifu said. "But I'm going to find out." Shifu walked forward towards the ladder. Viper and Zhan shi followed. Shifu climbed up high enough to see over the edge. When he did, he almost fell off in shock.

"What's wrong?" Zhan shi asked.

"Heavens above!" Shifu said. "There are three giant great white sharks in there!" Shifu stared at the great beasts swimming around until a yelp made him whip around to his brother and student. He looked down and saw them engaged in a furious battle with two giant anacondas. Shifu slid down the ladder and joined them, transforming to a werewolf. They fought for a while until a loud whistle rung out. The anacondas turned towards the sound, and then hissed menacingly before slithering off.

"Should we head to the palace?" Zhan shi asked. Shifu stared after the large snakes, not taking his eyes off them.

"Yeah." Shifu, Zhan shi, and Viper rushed off. By the time they had gotten to the Jade Palace, it was sunset. Viper went off to bed, Zhan shi went to find Yī fù and tell her about the incident, and Shifu walked off to find Lin. Turns out, she was playing with Tigress. Shifu watched, smiling. Tigress was laughing as Lin jumped on her, twirled around her head, and tugged on Tigress' ears playfully. Being half the size of a small tiger cub, Lin could easily get away from Tigress trying to catch her. Shifu hadn't seen Tigress so happy. When the sun finally disappeared, Shifu walked forward. Tigress saw him and stood up straight, bowing. Shifu rolled his eyes.

"Time for bed now." He told the girls.

"K." Lin said. She leaped up into Tigress' arms and gave her a dragon kiss. "Goodnight, Tiga." Lin leaped down and galloped to her room.

"Goodnight Tigress." Shifu said, following the dragon.

"Goodnight Master." Tigress said, walking to her room.

Once in Shifu's room, Lin did a flying leap and canon balled into Shifu's bed. Shifu laughed as Lin bounced around for a bit before settling down. Shifu hopped into bed after the little dragon. When Shifu was settled, Lin curled up against his chest, yawning.

"Goodnight, Baba." Lin said before she fell asleep. Shifu smiled, blew out his lantern, and went to sleep.

*****

The next afternoon, after training, Bā hén challenged Shifu to a sword fight.

Shifu seemed surprised. "Might I ask why?"

"I just want to see your blade skills." Bā hén said. "Everyone knows you're the greatest kung fu master ever. I just want to know how well you do with a blade." Shifu smiled and nodded. Po grabbed him a sword, and Bā hén took out his own. Then, in a clash of metal, the battle began.

Shifu had to admit, Bā hén was a very skilled swordsman. Shifu had to smile at it. But after a minute of intense sword fighting, Shifu frowned, pushing harder. When Bā hén countered, Shifu knew he had seen those moves before, but he couldn't remember where. When Bā hén swung his sword and Shifu parried the blow, the old master caught a looked at the blade. He stared at it.

It was a katana. But the handle was pure gold. The blade was pure silver. But the one thing Shifu really noticed was the jagged red line on the blade.

It looked just like the sword that belonged to the ninja that had attacked Shifu.

Shifu resumed the battle, knocking away Bā hén's sword and kicking him to the ground. With the battle over, everyone resumed their day. Po walked to Shifu as Bā hén picked up his sword, sheathed it, and walked off.

"What is it?" Po asked his master.

"I know that sword from somewhere." Shifu said. "And if I'm right, we'll have figured out who is after Lin."

A/N: Almost done! A few more chapters to go! Read and Review!


	8. Sacrifices

Chapter Eight- Sacrifices

A few days later, while the Five and Po were training and Shifu, Zhan shi, and Yī fù were talking, Chen and Lin played around, having fun outside the training hall.

"Chen, let's go outside!" Lin said.

"We are outside!" Chen laughed.

"No!" Lin shook her head. "In forest!"

"What?" Chen's smiled disappeared. "I don't know. Yī fù says I have to watch over you."

"Chen follow Lin then." The little dragon said.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Chen agreed. He and Lin ran off into the woods. Once they started to play again, Chen laughed, thinking nothing could happen to them.

That was _before _Bèn zhuō, Jiǎo, Lǐng xiù, and Bā hén surrounded them. Lin hissed at Bā hén.

"None of that you little rat." He said.

"Bā hén, what is going on here?" Chen demanded.

"I'll let you guess." The lion said as he stared at Lin. Chen realized it right away.

"You're after Lin!" he said. "You've been behind this whole thing! You and the hyenas made that blesbuck stampede and made the ledge Shifu was on crumble so he'd fall in. You made that giant wooden tank with the sharks. You attacked Lin, Shifu, and Tigress!"

"Well, it took you long enough." Bā hén said.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you to pieces." Chen growled.

"Touch him, and we'll kill the dragon." Jiǎo snarled.

"I still don't understand why you'd do it." Chen said.

"For power of course." Bā hén said. "You see, I have a formula to gain ultimate power. I found it in a book from the library. And all I need is the Spirit of the Werewolf."

"Then why have you been trying to catch Lin?" Chen asked.

"Well, I knew right away that I couldn't catch Shifu easily; he'd fight back and kill me." Bā hén said. "So when I heard that he had that dragon and was protecting it with his life, I took my chance. Plus, the formula calls for dragon blood. Young dragon blood."

"You'll not harm her." Chen growled.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me." Bā hén snapped his fingers and the hyenas attacked.

*****

In the Sacred Hall of Warriors, Shifu awoke from his meditation, sensing something wrong. He closed his eyes again and focused.

"What's happening?" he whispered.

Immediately, a vision came to him.

Chen and Lin were desperately trying to fight off the hyenas and Bā hén. But they lost easily.

"What now?" Jiǎo asked.

"We take them to the tank." Bā hén said. "No doubt Shifu will realized how long they've been gone and come looking for them. Then we'll get what we need." Jiǎo grabbed Chen by the scruff of the neck in his mouth and Lǐng xiù did the same to Lin. With Bā hén in the lead, the four of them disappeared.

The vision faded, and Shifu's eyes snapped open.

Furious, Shifu ran off to get Tigress.

"I knew Bā hén was up to something." Tigress said when Shifu finished telling her the vision. "What do we do?"

"Gather the rest of the Five and we'll go and get Lin." Shifu ordered. "We can handle it." Tigress obeyed and went to get Viper, Monkey, Crane, and Mantis. Once they had joined their master, the six of them sprinted off into the forest. Shifu led his students to the bushes by the shark tank and they all looked around cautiously before carefully advancing forward.

"Look!" Crane said, pointing at the plank above the tank. "I think that's Lin and Chen." In response, Shifu heard the little dragon yell from the bag, confirming Crane's theory.

"Baba!"

"What was that?" Viper asked as she whipped around to the bushes they had come out of. Everyone turned as well and prepared themselves.

What came out of the bushes were Lǐng xiù, Jiǎo, Bèn zhuō, and the two anacondas that were at the tank the last time.

"We'll take care of these clowns." Mantis told Shifu. "You just go get Lin and Chen." Shifu nodded, spun around, and started running to the shark tank. But he barely got there before something scaly wrapped around his feet and he fell to the ground. He twisted around and saw Tigress fighting Lǐng xiù, Monkey fighting Bèn zhuō, Crane fighting Jiǎo, and Mantis and Viper fighting the anaconda. But what Shifu was really focused on was the anaconda that was constricting his body and throat. Shifu struggled to pull away from the giant snake, but he wasn't really breathing at the moment. Viper noticed this right away and broke away from her fight to help her master. After striking the anaconda enough, the giant snake let Shifu go and attacked Viper.

"Get Lin and Chen!" Viper yelled to her master. "Now!" Shifu scrambled to his feet and ran to the ladder, climbing up quickly. He quickly but carefully walked across the wooden plank to the brown sack tied at the end. The great white sharks were jumping up, trying to bite the sack as it moved.

"Lin? Chen? You in there?" Shifu called.

"Shifu?" Chen called from inside the sack. "Get us out of here! There are sharks below us!"

"I know." Shifu said, pulling the sack up. He quickly untied it and Lin jumped out pushing Shifu back and pinning him to the plank. She snarled until she realized who she had attacked. When she saw Shifu, Lin smiled and cuddled him. Chen leaped up after her. He growled and leaped over Shifu and Lin, tackling Bā hén, who was standing behind him with his sword raised. Bā hén went over the side of the plank, grabbing it just as he fell. Shifu gathered Lin in his arms and he and Chen started to run away. But Bā hén moved swiftly; he swung up to his feet, punched Shifu away, and grabbed Lin by the scruff of her neck as she fell. Shifu managed to land on his feet and stood to face Bā hén. He was horrified to see Bā hén's dagger to Lin's throat. The little dragon was curled in a little ball, terrified.

"Put…her…_down_." Shifu growled, pronouncing each word he said darkly. "Now."

"You have a choice Shifu." Bā hén said. "You can be my prisoner at your own will, or you can watch me kill your bloody dragon and feed it to the sharks." Bā hén moved Lin out so she was hanging over the water. The sharks leaped up, snapping at her. Lin screeched.

Shifu stared at the little dragon, helpless and afraid. That's when he and Bā hén heard shouting, and they looked, finding Po, Zhan shi, Chen, and Yī fù helping the Five overpower the hyenas and the anacondas, knocking them out cold. They moved to the bottom of the ladder. Po climbed up and got ready to fight.

"Put the dragon down." Po demanded.

"Watch your words, Dragon Warrior." Bā hén said, still holding his dagger to Lin's neck. "I might listen to you."

Shifu was done.

He had seen enough.

"Bā hén, give Lin to Po." He told the lion. "I surrender." Bā hén smiled evilly.

"Good decision Master Shifu." Bā hén said. "It seems you do know when it is time to give up." Bā hén sheathed his dagger and threw Lin to Po, who barely had time to react before he caught her.

"Po, take Lin and the others and go home." Shifu told his student. Po stared helplessly at his master before turning and walking off. The Five, Chen, Zhan shi, and Yī fù reluctantly followed Po into the woods, back to the palace.

"Bā hén, you have to make me one promise." Shifu said. "You will not harm my students or any of the werewolves."

"Of course." Bā hén said. "I have no reason to. Now come on." Bā hén climbed down the ladder and Shifu followed. The hyenas and anacondas surrounded Shifu, making sure he didn't try anything. When Bèn zhuō tried to bite the small master, Shifu transformed and lunged, pinning the hyena to the ground and snarling.

"Shifu, unless you want your students and friends reduced to bloody corpses, I'd come quietly." Bā hén said with a bored tone.

"Only if your bloody hyenas don't patronize me." Shifu growled, following Bā hén into the forest to his gorge hideout.

A/N: Almost done! Read and Review!


	9. Battle of the Dragons

Chapter Nine- Battle of the Dragons

It was a long trip back to the palace.

For one thing, everyone was mad that Bā hén had used Lin to get to Shifu, plus the fact that it worked. Zhan shi was hopelessly thinking that he'd never see his brother again.

For another thing, Lin was going a bit ballistic over Shifu being taken from her.

The little dragon had always been so close to the red panda master, and now that he's been taken away (and probably forever), Lin was desperately trying to get to him. Po had to hold Lin by her scruff so she would stop scratching him. Little Lin was scratching, pulling, biting, and screeching. Po was always yelping every three seconds from Lin's teeth and claws. It wasn't until Yī fù talked to Lin before the dragon calmed down. But she only stayed that way for about two seconds before she burst into silent tears. Tigress carried the dragon the rest of the way home.

Once at the palace, everyone went straight to the Sacred Hall of Warriors to talk. Chen and Lin walked off a little ways to play, but Lin just curled into a ball and cried, so Chen kept her company. Everyone else gathered around the Moon Pool.

"What does Bā hén think he's going to get out of Shifu?" Mantis asked.

"I guess it's because he has the Werewolf Spirit." Po said.

"There is something my grandfather told me about." Yī fù said. "Something about a strong werewolf soul and a dragon."

"Bā hén took something out of Lin." The little dragon spoke up softly. She walked over and showed the medicine woman a cut on her arm. Yī fù stared at the cut.

"Of course!" she exclaimed. Lin bounded back over the Chen and brought him over to listen. "If someone combines the blood of a werewolf and a dragon, the werewolf turns into a dragon that the person controls!"

"Excuse me?" Viper asked.

"Let's say I gave you, Viper, a cut. Then I took some dragon blood, say Lin's, for example, and put it into the cut and cover the cut with a bandage. After a few seconds, the dragon blood in your system will transform you into a dragon, and you will obey my every order."

"You said the werewolf had to have a strong soul." Monkey said.

"If the werewolf's soul is not strong enough, the werewolf will die." Yī fù said.

"But Shifu is the Werewolf _Spirit_." Tigress said.

"So he'll be unstoppable if Bā hén puts Lin's blood into him." Chen said.

"We have to stop him." Crane said.

"If we hurry, we might be able to save Shifu." Zhan shi said. Immediately, everyone took off to find Shifu and stop Bā hén.

*****

When Shifu, Bā hén, the hyenas, and the anacondas got to the gorge hideout, the anacondas slithered back to the shark tank to guard it. Shifu was taken to a small room where Bā hén roughly and tightly tied him to a chair.

"You three go outside and guard the place." Bā hén ordered the hyenas.

"You don't think the Dragon Warrior will come, do you?" Jiǎo asked.

"I won't take the risk until after I get my power." Bā hén said. The hyenas nodded and walked off. Bā hén moved forward and grabbed Shifu's free arm. When Bā hén had tied Shifu to the chair, he had left one arm out. Bā hén strapped Shifu's arm to the table next to him, palm down.

"Might I ask what you are doing?" Shifu asked.

"Getting what I deserve." Bā hén said simply. He walked to a cabinet and pulled out a small vile. Shifu noticed right away it was blood.

"Where did you get that?" Shifu demanded.

"A dragon." Bā hén said casually.

"You hurt Lin?!" Shifu said angrily.

"Oh relax Shifu." Bā hén said. "Besides, if you had been watching Lin, it wouldn't happen anyway."

Shifu clenched his fists. "That was a _bad _mistake."

Bā hén wasn't worried…..until he heard cracking behind him. He had his back to Shifu and whipped around to look at what was happening. What he saw was Shifu in his full werewolf form, snarling. The chair, ropes, and table were all broken.

"Uh oh." Bā hén said as he carefully put the vile of blood on a chord and put it around his neck. Then he ran. Shifu followed, snarling menacingly. Bā hén passed by the hyenas, yelling, "Stop that beast!" The hyenas turned and attacked. But Shifu was so mad he hit all the hyenas away. But not before Lǐng xiù bit him hard on the leg. Shifu hit her away and lunged for Bā hén. He tackled the lion and snarled in his face. Bā hén noticed the bite mark on Shifu leg and smiled. He opened the vile of blood, poured some on his hand, and grabbed Shifu's wound. Shifu gave a dog-like yelp before transforming to normal. Bā hén kept his strong grip on Shifu's arm until the master started to transform.

But it wasn't to a werewolf.

Instead, Shifu's fur disappeared and turned to dull green scales. His short nails grew to claws. His tail grew longer. Spines grew along his back and tail.

When Shifu's transformation was done, he was a dull green Chinese dragon, twice the size of an elephant. The only thing that wasn't different was Shifu's eyes, which were still blood red and blue. Bā hén stood and smiled triumphantly.

"Finally!" he said. "Lǐng xiù, Jiǎo, Bèn zhuō, come with me! We need to get to the palace." The hyenas hopped onto Shifu's back cautiously. But Shifu stood still. Bā hén leaped on after them. At first, Shifu refused, snarling. "Down, my pet!" In Shifu's mind, he was resisting.

_In your dreams. _He thought. But against his own will, Shifu bent down and allowed Bā hén to climb on. Then, they were off. But they were only flying for a little while before Bā hén noticed Po, the Five, Zhan shi, Chen, Yī fù, and Lin running in the direction of the shark tank.

"Shifu, land down by the tank!" Bā hén ordered.

_You can't make me do anything! _Shifu thought. He wanted to scream it at the bloody lion. But he couldn't control anything, and he unwillingly turned and landed smoothly next to the shark tank. Bā hén and the hyenas jumped off and prepared themselves. Po and the others burst out of the bushes, ready to fight.

"I knew you'd return, Dragon Warrior." Bā hén said. "If you have any brains in your thick little head, you'll go home."

"If you have any brains you'll give us Shifu." Zhan shi growled.

"You can't tell us what to do anymore." Bā hén said. "I have enough power to crush all of you." Po looked up into Bā hén's dragon's eyes and noticed the two colors.

"Who's your friend?" he asked, even though he knew fully well who that dragon must be.

"Say hello to your master, punk." Lǐng xiù chuckled. She lunged, Jiǎo and Bèn zhuō following. Chen, Zhan shi, and Yī fù attacked, holding the hyenas off. The Five, Po, and Lin advanced to Bā hén, ready to fight.

"Change Shifu back!" Tigress demanded.

"Don't you see?" Bā hén asked. "I've won. I don't need to fight you. My dragon can crush you all to dust, and the hyenas can kill those werewolves with ease. I will take over the Valley of Peace and none of you will stop me!" Tigress snarled and lunged, attacking Bā hén. The lion blocked and kicked the tiger away. He turned to Shifu. "It's time to show you pathetic losers my power." He told the Five, Po, and Lin.

_If you touch them, I'll kill you. _Shifu thought.

"Kill them." Bā hén told Shifu.

_What?! _Shifu thought. _No! _

But Shifu was in absolutely no control. He attacked, growling. Tigress hid Lin in the bushes so she'd be safe and ran in to help her friends fight. But Shifu was much stronger as a dragon. He grabbed Monkey by his tail and threw him into Crane as the avian tried to dive-bomb the dragon. Viper tried to whip her tail at Shifu so he'd go back (and maybe obey her), but she was launched backwards and almost fell into the shark tank. Mantis was almost crushed under Shifu's giant paw. Then there was only Tigress and Po left to fight. Po came careening in and punched Shifu's leg.

But it was like punching a wall, and Shifu unwillingly growled in Po's face.

"Aw come on!" Po complained, jumping back as Shifu snapped at him. Tigress rushed in, swiping her claws. Shifu swiped his paw at her, slamming the tiger master into a tree.

_Sorry. _Shifu thought.

Po rushed in with a stick, hitting Shifu's leg with it. Shifu snarled and grabbed Po, throwing him aside. Shifu let Tigress go and lunged, slamming his paw on Po's body and pinning the Dragon Warrior to the ground.

"Finish him off." Bā hén commanded. "Now!"

_I can't. _Shifu thought. _I won't! _

"Do it!"

_NO!!! _

Shifu lunged down, about to lay down his final blow.

But he stopped abruptly and turned around to his tail, growling…….where Lin was biting on it hard.

"Leave Dragon Warrior alone!" Lin cried. Shifu got off of Po and snarled at the little dragon.

_Lin, run for it! _Shifu thought. _You'll be killed if I fight. _

But Lin stood her ground, snarling. She lunged, and then she and Shifu engaged in a furious battle. Lin was small enough to slip thru Shifu's legs and snap at his legs. But then Shifu swiped at Lin, sending the little dragon flying thru the air and landing hard on the wooden plank above the shark tank.

_Lin! _

Shifu rushed to her, but he knew that he was just unwillingly running over to kill her. As Shifu slowly advanced forward, he didn't realize that if he walked out onto the plank, he and Lin would fall in. So when he stepped up to the little dragon, the plank broke in half, and the two dragons fell. Shifu swam around for a minute before surfacing he scanned the water's surface for Lin.

_Lin, where are you? _Shifu feared the worst: that the sharks had eaten her. But the little dragon burst out of the water, madly swimming away from the great white after her. Shifu lunged. _I can't hurt her. I have to take control. _Shifu used all the strength and will power he had and grabbed Lin. The little dragon was scared, but she calmed down when Shifu's strength pulled thru, and Shifu hit the great white shark away. Shifu climbed out of the tank and set Lin down on the ground.

Bā hén was furious.

"Kill that little rat!" he ordered. "Do it now!" Shifu tried to gather his strength again, but failed. He attacked Lin again. The little dragon madly tried to dodge his strikes, but she was still a bit weak from the last blow she took. After fighting furiously, Lin went down after Shifu swiped at her with his claws. Lin whimpered from the immense pain in her body that came from the scratch on her back. Bā hén came forward, his sword drawn.

"Shifu, sit." He ordered.

_Do I look like a dog to you? _Shifu thought as he obeyed. Bā hén came forward, raising his sword to kill Lin with it. Shifu turned away, not wanting to watch. Bā hén turned to him and sneered.

"Shifu, don't you turn your head away from this." He said. Shifu's eyes went to Bā hén and Lin. "You need to watch this so you'll get used to seeing the blood of my enemies when we kill them." Shifu was horrified as he watched Bā hén raise his sword once more.

_I'm sorry Lin. _Shifu thought. _I failed big time. _

Shifu growled deep in his throat.

He was madder than he was when the stampede happened.

The stampede almost took Lin away from him.

Bā hén will _not _kill her now.

"Don't you touch her." Shifu snarled as Bā hén swung his sword.

Bā hén froze in mid-swing. He turned and glared at Shifu.

"Impossible." He whispered.

Shifu was back to his werewolf self.

A/N: Final chapter coming up! After this, I will check my poll status to see which stories I will start next. Make sure you all vote on my profile poll, review here, or PM me. Your options are on my profile. Read and Review!


	10. Final Battle

_This next chapter is a birthday gift for Red Panda Obesessor. Happy Birthday! I"m sorry it's late, but i couldn't upload it for some reason._

Chapter Ten- Final Battle

Shifu snarled, ready to fight the lion that had almost taken away something he held dear.

Bā hén backed up a little, angry that his plans had failed, and scared that Shifu was in his werewolf form and was about to attack. Then he noticed the shark tank and got an idea; if he couldn't use Shifu to take over the valley, then he'd destroy Shifu to prevent him from thwarting his plans.

Bā hén walked backwards towards the ladder to the broken plank. Shifu followed, not taking his eyes off the evil lion. Quick as a wink, Bā hén sheathed his sword and started scrambling up the ladder. He barely had time to dodge Shifu's teeth as the large wolf jumped up high, destroying part of the ladder. Shifu kept going up, snapping at Bā hén. When the lion ninja reached the top, he turned to face Shifu. The kung fu master got to the top and snarled at Bā hén. Bā hén took out his dagger and flung it at Shifu as the werewolf master charged. Shifu skidded to a halt, wincing as he transformed to normal. The dagger had embedded itself in his shoulder. Shifu grasped the handle and pulled it out, wincing from another wave of pain.

"Not so strong now, are you?" Bā hén taunted. He drew his sword and lunged. Shifu raised the dagger and parried the strike. Bā hén lunged again, and he and Shifu engaged in battle. Shifu was a bit worried; he had a dagger with a foot-long blade and Bā hén's sword blade was at least four feet long. But Shifu knew he had to hold Bā hén off so everyone else could get away. Shifu parried, lunged, kicked, and punched as much as he could without falling off the broken plank. After a furious battle, Shifu kicked Bā hén away and looked over the edge of the tank to see his students. The Five and Po were checking on Lin, making sure she was okay. Zhan shi, Chen, and Yī fù were still engaged in a battle with Bèn zhuō, Jiǎo, and Lǐng xiù.

Bā hén got back up and attacked Shifu again, punching him hard and hitting him off the wooden plank. Shifu managed to grab the plank before he fell, but he dropped the dagger into the waters below. Two great white sharks leaped up to grab Shifu's tail, but he lifted it at the last second. Shifu swung up and did a flip as he landed dangerously close to broken edge of the wooden plank. Bā hén growled and lunged. Shifu had a harder time dodging the blows of the sword without the dagger, as Bā hén was basically trying to run the red panda thru with his katana. Shifu took one step backwards and a piece he was stepping on broke. Shifu lost his balance, and Bā hén tried to slash his sword. Shifu dropped down, grabbed the plank, and swung up to land a hard kick to Bā hén's face. Bā hén grabbed Shifu's foot in mid-kick and slammed the master to the plank. Bā hén pushed against Shifu's throat, pinning him to the plank.

"If only you could see yourself." Bā hén sneered. "You're nothing but a worthless rat."

Shifu wasn't trying to pull away very much. He heard the three sharks below him, splashing around and waiting for Shifu to fall in and became their snack. But Shifu could feel Bā hén's paw push harder against his neck. Shifu was losing air, and if he didn't die from Bā hén cutting off his airways, the lion would let Shifu go and give him to the sharks.

"Don't worry about dying." Bā hén said. "It'll happen soon enough."

Shifu was scared. Not for him, but for Lin and everyone else. If he died, what would Lin do? Bā hén raised his sword to kill the kung fu master trapped in his grasp. That's when Shifu got an idea. He was already leaning off the plank a little ways. If he moved enough, he'd fall off.

Shifu grabbed Bā hén's arm and pulled hard, pushing off the wooden plank. The two of them fell, both plunging headfirst into the shark tank. Shifu closed his eyes and mouth and held his breath right when he hit the water. When Shifu opened his eyes, he saw nothing but bubbles for a second. When the bubbles cleared, Shifu saw himself on the bottom of the tank, sitting on a small pile of sand. He pushed off and started swimming up to the surface. He burst thru the surface and gasped, coughing as air rushed to his lungs. Shifu looked around, trying to find a way out. He could feel his blood running down his chest and into the water. If he didn't get out soon, the sharks would smell his blood and attack.

So, here's the good news and the bad news.

Good news: Crane was flying overhead with Viper on his back, ready to fly down and grab Shifu.

Bad news: Before Crane could touch his master, one of the sharks grabbed Shifu's broken leg and pulled him under.

Shifu barely had time to hold his breath before disappearing under the surface of the water. Shifu gave the shark a hard kick to the nose to make the shark let go. The shark attacked again, his friend joining him. Shifu noticed out of the corner of his eye that Bā hén was fighting off the third shark. The two sharks attacking Shifu swam towards him from two different directions. Shifu moved in time so the sharks collided. Shifu found Bā hén's dagger and grabbed it, ready to fight. The first shark that come at him, he stabbed the dagger into its head. The shark died quickly, but Shifu couldn't get the dagger out. The master frantically started swimming to the surface, Shark Number Two on his tail.

Quite literally actually; the shark grabbed Shifu's tail and pulled him down again. Shifu struggled to fight him off as he was forced to hold his breath longer. That's when Viper dived down and helped her master, wrapping herself around the sharks and strangling him. Viper grabbed Shifu with her tail and helped him to the surface. They got to the top and burst out, coughing.

"Thanks." Shifu whispered.

"Don't thank me yet!" Viper exclaimed as she swam. Shifu swam after her when he realized the last shark was coming toward them. Crane swooped down next to them. Shifu helped Viper up first before climbing on himself. But before Crane could fly away, Bā hén burst thru the surface and grabbed his foot. The extra weight pulled Crane down towards the shark, which was jumping up to the bird. Crane tried to fly away and kick Bā hén off, but the lion took out his katana and tried to stab the avian in the heart. Shifu jumped down and gave Bā hén and good kick to the face. Both of them fell, hitting the end of the wooden plank and breaking it more. Bā hén grabbed a piece of the plank that was hanging off the plank by a small group of strong splinters. Shifu grabbed a sharp spike of the wood. But Shifu's piece was breaking fast, and Shifu couldn't get a good hold of it before he fell to the hungry shark below.

Shifu braced himself for three rows of sharp teeth ripping his flesh apart.

Instead, Shifu felt a scaly, clawed paw grab his paw.

Shifu looked up and saw Lin holding his paw with one of her paws and clawing the plank with her claws so she didn't fall off. Lin pulled with all her might and managed to haul Shifu up to the plank. Shifu sighed with relief and smiled at the dragon.

"That's my girl." He said. Lin smiled and nuzzled him. Shifu's smile disappeared quickly when he heard Bā hén yell, "Back off you beast!" Shifu looked over the edge and saw Bā hén trying to climb up to escape the shark below him. But he couldn't get a good enough grip. Bā hén stabbed his katana into the plank to pull him up, but he slipped, falling back and leaving his katana stuck in the plank. Shifu could see the piece of the plank Bā hén was holding onto breaking. Shifu grabbed onto the plank he was on and reached down towards Bā hén.

"Bā hén! Grab on!" Shifu yelled. Bā hén growled, unsheathed his claws, and swiped them at Shifu's arm, leaving deep scratches. Shifu recoiled, but reached down again. "Bā hén, just grab my hand and I'll pull you up!"

"I don't need you help!" Bā hén screamed, trying to pull himself up.

But Shifu saw that Bā hén's claws had cut half of the splinters that were holding the piece of wood.

"Bā hén, come on!" Shifu begged. "I'll help you." Bā hén snarled and swiped his claws one more time.

His claws missed Shifu's hand.

But they cut the last few splinters.

Bā hén fell to the water, yelling. Shifu pulled Lin close so she couldn't see the bloody water and Bā hén be devoured by the shark. Shifu felt dizzy and weak from his wounds. He grabbed Bā hén's katana. He took Lin in his arms and wearily climbed down the ladder to his students and werewolves. Zhan shi, Chen, and Yī fù had chased off the hyenas Bèn zhuō, Jiǎo, and Lǐng xiù. Yī fù walked to Shifu.

"Let's get home." She said. "You need medical attention." Shifu only nodded as he walked off to the palace. Everyone else followed without a word. The sun had set when they arrived at the steps. Once at the palace, Shifu almost collapsed from pain and weakness. Yī fù led him to the infirmary, Tigress, Viper, and Chen following. Everyone else went to bed. Shifu set Lin down to play with Chen while Yī fù urged him into a bed. Tigress and Viper helped tend Shifu's wounds while Yī fù gave them directions. When they were done, Yī fù, Viper, and Chen left to give Shifu some rest. Tigress stayed next to Shifu's bed. Lin crawled into Shifu's bed and curled up next to him. Shifu stroked the dragon's fur and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Tigress asked.

"I could've saved him." Shifu said. "I could've saved Bā hén's life."

"And then what?" Tigress said. "You think he would be a changed man? He would've just killed you anyway."

"I didn't want him to die like that." Shifu said. "I'd rather he be put in jail for attempted murder than have him be devoured by a shark."

"At least you tried to save him rather than try and push him into the water." Tigress said.

"Baba wise." Lin said, yawning. "He will be the greatest for eternity." She yawned again and went to sleep.

"How does she know that?" Tigress asked.

"I guess it's a dragon thing." Shifu said. They chuckled.

Suddenly, Lin started to twitch. She snarled, and her eyes snapped open. They were glowing bright gold.

"What's happening?" Shifu asked.

"I don't-" Tigress started.

Then, Lin spoke in a voice much older than hers. It sounded distant, yet close at the same time.

"_Eight shall go to the house of ghosts,_

_One shall face the terrible host._

_Beware of the traps that lie within,_

_One will be confronted by his sins._

_To defeat the evil that will show, _

_The heroes must be aided by their foe._

_One will perish to save his friends,_

_Should the ghosts be released, it will all end._

_Sadness and grief shall follow the end to danger,_

_But joy shall come from a powerful stranger."_

When Lin was done, she collapsed. Shifu lifted her head and the little dragon blinked, opening her eyes.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Tigress, can you remember what she said?" Shifu asked. Tigress nodded. "Write it down. I think it's a prophecy." Tigress obeyed, grabbing a scroll and ink and quickly writing what Lin said.

"What does this mean?" Tigress asked her master.

"I don't know." Shifu said. "But we need to hold onto that until we find out." Tigress nodded and handed it to Shifu to hold. Tigress left for bed.

"What happens now?" Lin asked.

"I don't know." Shifu said. "We just have to wait. Destiny works in mysterious ways."

With that, the two of them went to sleep.

They didn't realize just how soon the prophecy would come true.

A/N: Done! Again, Happy Birthday RPO. Please help me decide my next story to start. You can review any of my stories and tell me, take my poll or PM me. I don't care how many stories you choose. You can choose all of them if you want. Thanks for reading! Review please!

By the way, the winner of the contest for which story i will write next is OC Heroes and Villains. I will be posting the first chapter soon! So read and review that too!


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